McCormick United Methodist Church has temporarily suspended in-house services and is canceling or postponing gatherings and events in response to coronavirus concerns.

Everyone is encouraged to remain at home and follow all health precautions.

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Worship – May 17, 2020

Worship – May 10, 2020

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OFFERINGSWhile in-person services are suspended and the church office is closed, please consider giving by sending your check to the church office. This will allow the church to continue to pay its expenses. Our mailing address is:McCormick United Methodist ChurchP.O. Box 267McCormick SC 29835

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A Picture of Evangelism

Richard J. Fairchild tells about an artist seeking to depict on canvas the meaning of evangelism. He painted a storm at sea with black clouds filling the sky. Illuminated by a flash of lightning, a little boat could be seen disintegrating under the pounding of the ocean. People were struggling in the swirling waters, their anguished faces crying out for help. The only glimmer of hope appeared in the foreground of the painting, where a large rock protruded out of the water. There, clutching desperately with both hands, was one lone seaman.

It was a moving scene. Looking at the painting, one could see in the tempest a symbol of humankind’s hopeless condition. And, true to the Gospel, the only hope of salvation was “the Rock of Ages”, a shelter in the time of storm.

But as the artist reflected upon his work, he realized that the painting did not accurately portray his subject. So he discarded the canvas, and painted another. It was very similar to the first: the black clouds, the flashing lightning, the angry waters, the little boat crushed by the pounding waves, and the crew vainly struggling in the water. In the foreground the seaman was clutching the large rock for salvation. But the artist made one change: the survivor was holding on with only one hand, and with the other hand he was reaching down to pull up a drowning friend.

That is the New Testament picture of witnessing – that hand reaching down to rescue the perishing. Until that hand is extended, there is no Gospel – and there is no hope for the world.

May our Church hold on to the Rock of Salvation; and reach out to the lost.

Hear God’s Word this Sunday with our online worship service!

Nels

Below is a little humor for you, with a good point! Enjoy.

We Have the Majority

Isaac Asimov told a hilarious story about a Rabbi Feldman who was having trouble with his congregation; they couldn’t agree on anything. The president of the congregation said, “Rabbi, this can’t continue. There has to be a conference, and we have to settle all areas of dispute once and for all.” The rabbi agreed.

At the appointed time the rabbi, the president, and ten elders met around a magnificent mahogany table in the conference room of the synagogue. One by one the issues were dealt with and on each issue, it became more and more apparent that the rabbi was a lonely voice in the wilderness.

The president of the synagogue said, “Come, Rabbi, enough of this. Let’s vote and allow the majority to rule.” He passed out slips of paper and each man made his mark. The votes were collected and the president said, “You may examine them, Rabbi. It is eleven to one against you. We have the majority.”

Offended, the rabbi rose to his feet and said, “So, now you think because of the vote that you’re right and I’m wrong. Well, that’s not so. I stand here,” and he raised his arms impressively while looking heavenward, “and call upon the Holy One of Israel to give us a sign that I’m right and you’re wrong.”

No sooner were the words out of his mouth when there was a deafening clap of thunder and a brilliant flash of lightning that struck the mahogany table and cracked it in two. The room was filled with smoke and fumes, and the president and the elders were hurled to the floor. Surrounded by rubble, the rabbi stood erect and untouched, his eyes and smile flashing with triumph.

Slowly, the president lifted himself out of the rubble. His hair was singed, his glasses were hanging from one ear, his clothing was in disarray. Finally he said, “All right, eleven to two. But we still have the majority.”

Right and wrong does not rest with the majority but with the Authority who is Christ. He is the One whom God has given authority over all people.

Bishop L. Jonathan Holston, resident bishop of the South Carolina Conference of The United Methodist Church, released this statement regarding the latest guidance in response to the coronavirus pandemic in our state:

Bishop Holston

Friends, I continue to be inspired by the creative ways the churches of the South Carolina Conference have responded to the ongoing challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic. Your commitment to our mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world and your care for one another are evident in so many ways. South Carolina United Methodists are truly seeking a more excellent way – following God beyond the bounds of expectations.

In consultation with the Cabinet and according to the latest guidance from public health officials, I am strongly recommending that leaders of each local church continue to suspend in‐person worship services, gatherings, meetings and events through June 10.

Worship and other in‐person gatherings are allowed to resume beginning Sunday, June 14. The cabinet has outlined the safety concerns and guidelines for resuming in‐person worship in a new resource called “Reset | Restart | Renew.” These guidelines are the product of prayer, research, data analysis and many conversations with public health officials, church leaders and state leaders. Clergy and church leaders are strongly encouraged to use this document to navigate the transition to resuming in-person worship.

We have heard your desire to return in person to the communities of faith that shape your relationship with Jesus Christ. Even when the church doors are once again open and we can safely gather, this does not mean a return to business as usual. It is critical to recognize the importance of the safe and sanitary practices necessary once we return to church buildings.

Congregations are encouraged to care for one another as plans are made for resuming in‐person worship and continuing remote worship opportunities. Some churches may opt to return in‐person at a later date, depending on their context. We support you in making the best decisions for your congregation as you care for one another.

Moving day for those transitioning to new appointments will be Tuesday, June 30, 2020. This one‐week delay allows time for in-person farewells and necessary sanitizing of parsonages.

We continue to monitor developments in the pandemic as we discern a new date for the 2020 Annual Conference session – postponed from June 7‐10. Our priority in this and all decisions is ensuring the health and safety of South Carolina United Methodists.

In this interim time, I know you will remain steadfast in finding ways to remain in community with your sisters and brothers in Christ. Our regularly updated collection of resources to help local churches through this unprecedented time can be found at umcsc.org/coronavirus.

As people of faith who profess to follow Jesus Christ, we know that our call is to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength, and to love our neighbor as ourselves. With ears open to hear how God is calling your congregation and hearts open to respond to that call, we embrace this opportunity to be a beacon of hope in a hurting world.

We renew our commitment to faithfully participate in the life of our congregations through our prayers, presence, gifts, service and witness so that all may come to know and be transformed by the love, grace and mercy available through Jesus Christ.

I invite you to join me each morning – on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and at umcsc.org – as we pray for those affected by the coronavirus, for those experiencing stress, anxiety and financial uncertainty, for medical professionals treating and caring for patients and for those working to ensure a healthier future for all of us.

Grace and peace,L. Jonathan HolstonResident Bishop

NOTE: Watch for more information as we grow closer, June 14 is MUMC’S TENTATIVE date to re-open in-person services.

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ACTS OF KINDNESS

Kindness Update Before the interruption of the pandemic, McCormick School students, as participants in MUMC’s project, found ways to spread kindness. They titled their project, “Be the I In Kind”. Jennie Brantley, JAG (Jobs for America’s Graduates) Coordinator at McCormick High School, sent us the information below that shows the students’ successful efforts to “be the I in Kind”!

This year has really been a challenge with COVID-19, and the students were not able to complete any of their projects that were planned. However, they did do the following:

– Completed two “Sticky Note Challenge” days where they wrote compliments on sticky notes and randomly passed them out in the hallways.

– Attended a conference in March at USC Upstate where they participated in a Perception Bias activity, where the students had a note stuck to their forehead that said something like “I’m shy,” or “I look funny.” or “I talk funny” and they walked around the large conference room trying to have conversations with the other students, but those students were treating them according to their note. It was an exercise to show them how it feels to be treated a certain way based on a perception bias. In the end, they all seemed to have a better feel for how others feel when they are treated unkind.

– Their main focus this year for community service was mental health (which is a form of kindness). At the request of JAG’s Students-In-Action Team, almost the entire MHS faculty is now trained in “Mental Health First Aid,” which is a certification that shows the teachers have been trained in how to recognize signs of poor mental health among their students and colleagues.Stay safe, and we look forward to working with you next year!

As a congregation, we continue to seek kindness, as you can see from this week’s entries:

I was leaving the grocery store struggling with 3 heavy bags of groceries. All of a sudden a woman appeared beside me and said, “Let me help you with those”. She took a bag and opened my car door for me. I feel sure she had a wonderful smile, but I couldn’t tell because of her mask.

I would like to call attention to the actions of those persons who organized and participated in drive by parades to honor students whose school year studies and activities were interrupted for the year and the residents of assisted living facilities and nursing homes with most compromised health circumstances who have been cut off from family and friends. They should not go unnoticed as we seek beautiful acts of kindness!

Have you seen God today? If you see God at work this week, there are two ways you can share what you saw!

1) Be a blessing to others by sharing your Act of Kindness (no names please) on our website, or use this link! Then check back each week to learn how others are passing on acts of kindness! The link is https://www.mccormickumc.org/acts-of-kindness

2) There is a Kindness box in the library on the window sill, along with paper and pencil. Share your God-Wink, perhaps someone else will be inspired!

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MEN N MINISTRY NEWS

With the continuing uncertainty of the return to in-church worship, we are canceling all Methodist Men n Ministry meetings until our first fall meeting, which is now scheduled for Tuesday, September 8, 2020 at 6pm.

This will be the second Tuesday of September because of Labor Day.

UMCOR is receiving urgent requests from ministry partners throughout the U.S. and around the world. Sadly, an overwhelming number of these requests are to meet the need for food. Partners who operate or directly support food pantries are asking for help as the global fight against COVID-19 is inflating the price of food, especially in places where food insecurity was already a major public health issue – even here in the U.S.

Men N Ministry has decided to send three hundred dollars to help with the requests.

See you in the fall! Bob Rennie President

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FOR SUCH A TIME AS THISINTERNATIONAL CALL TO FASTING AND PRAYERSave the dates .. May 28 to May 31 Lindy Stahlman will be providing more information on this worship and prayer gathering next week. Feel free to contact Lindy with questions.

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CENSUS COUNTCOMPLETE COUNT COMMITTEEThis is Jackie Brown and I am writing on behalf of the Complete Count Committee for McCormick County. As you all are aware the Census Count is only conducted every ten(10) years and the data collected is used for funding everything from schools, medical services, fire departments, county and local government as well as all manner of services. If we don’t get an accurate count, all services could be adversely affected including those being used during this season of COVID-19.

Please help us to continue to get the word out among your congregations, neighbors, family and friends to complete the Census and Be Counted. I am attaching some of the information we are using to encourage participation but nothing beats word of mouth. In addition to completing the Census there is also another effort underway to recruit additional workers for the Census 2020 Count.

The Census may be completed by phone 844-330-2020 or online at www.mycensus2020.gov. No pin code is needed to use the phone or online form. Thanks in advance for your assistance.

Jackie Brown

P.S. This is not just important for McCormick County it is important for every part of the CSRA, Piedmont Region and the United States of America. Thanks again.

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SHREDDING AND DRUG TAKE BACK DAYCHANGED TO JUNE 6, 9AM TO 2PMMUMC CHURCH PARKING LOTDue to the COVID19 and the shelter in place recommendations made by all of our government officials, Shred Day and Prescription Take Back Day have been rescheduled to June 6, 2020.

Sorry for any inconvenience this might cause but we want everyone to remain safe and healthy during these unprecedented times.